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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government insists that the extended shift is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms align national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with EU working-time regulations, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.